Assembling apparatus



Dec. 14, 1943. G. A. SEELEY ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1941 5Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR GASEELEY G. A. S EELEY ASSEMBLING APPARATUSFiled Dec. 4, 1941 SSheetS-Sheet 2 UUQ 0009 @b INVENTOR 6. A. SEEL E yB) fiRnwAM A rToR/vEr &

Dec. 14, 1943. EL 2,336,573

AS SEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1941 Sheets-Sheet 3 g [30 INVE/V225232 a 233 330 6 4.8551 3 ATTORNEY Dec. 14, 1943. G. A. SEELEYASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1.941 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inn" .mnunnymmml W mum-m INVENTOR 6.A.$EEL'Y A TTOQNEY Dec. 14, 1943. A, EL Y2,336,573

ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 7? Fl 6. I6 73m w A T TORNEV Patented Dec. 14, 1943 2,336,573 ASSEMBLING APPARATUSGeorge A. Seeley, Western Electric Baltimore, Md., assignor to Company,Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 4, 1941,Serial No. 421,623

26 Claims.

This invention relates to assembling apparatus, and more particularlyto*apparatus for assemblinga plurality of parts. .such as nuts andwashers, on articles, such as bolts.

An object of the invention is to provide an assembling apparatus whichis simple in structure yet highly efiicient in assembling a plurality ofdifferent parts in successive order on an article.

With this and other objects in view. the invention comprises anassembling apparatus having a plurality of assembling units supplied atthe time intervals with different parts and actuated in synchronism withmechanism for intermittently moving articles to assemble the parts insuccessive order on the articles. another unit being adapted to form thearticles to eliminate displacement of the parts thereon.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the apparatus; 4

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus;

Fig. 3. is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 33of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 66of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line1-1 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 88of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of a portion of thewasher assembling unit shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a Vertical ture shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of a washer feeding element takensubstantially along the line ll-l I of Fig. 4;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the linei2|2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 13 is an exploded view of an article and a pluralityof parts to beassembled thereon;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line |4i4 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary detailed view of mechanism associated with thestructure shown in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line lB-l6 of Fig. 1;

sectional view of the struc- Fig. 17 is a vertical sectional view takensubstantially along the line l'ili of Fig. 1;

of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 17, and

Fig. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of the structure at thejuncture of one of the feeding chutes and feeding elements.

Parts to be assembled Attention is first directed to Fig. 13, whichillustrates an article, namely a bolt l0, having a threaded portion iiwhich is internally threaded to receive a stud H. The article includesthe conventional head structure with threaded por- Fig. 18 is afragmentary side elevaticnal view tions of different diameters, a washerM being disposed upon the threaded portion ii to rest upon the head ofthe bolt. A large nut i5 is to be assembled on the threaded portion ll,after which two washers I6, having inner diameters of sufiicient size toreceive the stud i2 in the threaded portion. II, are then to beassembled on the stud and held in place by a smaller nut l1 subsequentlyassembled on the stud l2. Finally, the end of the stud is to be formedby a spinning operation, washer M, the large nut IS, the washers i6 andthe small nut ii, on the article i0.

General description of apparatus nut from the unit 21, while at the unit28, the

end of the article is formed to retain the parts, namely the nuts andwashers, thereon. A

General driving mechanism Considering the structure more specifically,the apparatus in general is provided with a table 30 upon which ismounted a speed reducing mechanism 3 l, driven by one end (not shown) ofa motor shaft 32 of a motor 33. A shaft 34, constituting the output endof the speed reducing mechanism 3|, has a sprocket 35 and a pinion 36mounted thereon. The pinion 36 interengages a gear 31 which is mountedupon a cam shaft 38, the latter being rotatably supported in bearto holdall of the parts, namely the ings 39 and supporting for rotationtherewith a plurality of cams which will hereinafter be described. Thesprocket 95 is operatively connected to a shaft 40, through a chain Hand a sprocket 42, the latter being mounted upon the shaft 40,

Attention is now directed to Figs. 1, 2 and 16. The shaft 40 has aspiral gear mounted thereon which interengages a spiral gear 45 of ashaft 41. The shafts 40 and 41 are journalled in suitable bearings of abearing bracket 48, the latter being mounted upon one end of a hopperhousing The hopper housing, including compartments for the parts I5, I6and I I, is supported by suitable uprights 5I mounted upon the table 30.The forward end of the shaft 41 has a bevelled gear 52 mounted thereonwhich interengages a bevelled gear 53, the latter being mounted upon ahollow shaft'54. The hollow shaft 54 is journalled in bearings 55 and 56disposedat spaced positions and supported by brackets 51, the latterbeing mounted upon the front wall of the hopper housing 50. A gearmounted upon the hollow shaft 54 between the bearings and 56 anddisposed at a suitably spaced position therebetween by the aid ofwashers 59 and 60, interengages a gear 6| of the unit 21, to impart asuitable rotary movement to this unit to assemble the small nut I! onthe article. A pulley 63 rotatable with the gear GI drives a belt 04 todrive the unit 25 through the aid of a pulley 65 mounted upon thelatter. This constitutes the driving means for the units 25 and 21.

Forming unit 28 The driving means for the unit 28 is taken from theupper end of the motor shaft 32 (Fig. 1). this end of the motor shaftsupporting and driving a pulley 68 which. through a belt 69, drives apulley I0. the latter being keyed to a spindle II as illustrated in Fig.16. The pulley 10 is supported between spaced bearing members I2 of abearing bracket I3. the latter being a companion portion of the bearingbracket 48 and supported by the hopper housing 50. The spindle II has anelongate keyway to permit axial movement of the spindle relative to thepulley I0 and functions with the key in the pul ey to assure rotation ofthe spindle with the pulley. The spind e II extends through the hollowshaft 54 and has a spinning head I6 mounted upon the lower end thereof,a concave recess 'I'I being formed in the lower end of the head toeffect spinning of the upper end of the article, that is, the outer endof the stud I2, to hold the parts, namely the washers I4 and I6 and thenuts I5 and N, there-- A ball bearing collar I8 is mounted upon thespindle II, as shown in Fig. 16. and to this collar a yoke end I9 of acam lever is pivotally connected as at 8|. The lever 80 is pivotallysupported at 82 and normally urged counterclockwise to normally hold thespindle 'II upwardly in its inoperative position by a tension spring 83,the latter having one end connected to the lever 80, the other end beingsupported by a. pin 84 carried by the hopper housing 50. The lever 80has a lever portion 86 pivoted thereto at 81 and provided with a camroller 88 at its free end. A spring 89, connecting the lever portion 86with the lever 80, renders the lever and its lever portion sufficientlyrigid to actuate the unit 28 to perform the spinning operation butsupplies sufficient flexibility to avoid damage to the article or to theunit. A cam 90, mounted upon the cam shaft 98, is rotated to effectactuation of the unit 28 at predetermined time intervals with themovement of the articles.

Tray moving mechanism Attention isnow directed to the mechanism forintermittently moving the trays 20 relative to. the units 25 to 28inclusive. The trays 20, as previously described, contain rows ofrecesses 2|, 22 and 23. It will be noted that the rows of recessesdiffer in size for different sizes of articles, these recesses, althoughbeing circular in general contour, having flat surfaces 93 to engage theflat sides of the heads of the articles to hold the articles againstrotation. The trays are connected to predetermined links of a chain 94,the latter being mounted upon sprockets 95 and 99 disposed in anelongate aperture 91 in the table The sprocket 96 is rotatably mountedupon a shaft 98 which is journalled in a bearing bracket positions onthe rods by the aid of screws I02. I

The supporting rods IOI have their rearmost ends supported by a bracketI03, the latter being mounted upon a vertical portion I04 of the table30.

The sprocket 95 is fixedly mounted upon a shaft I05, the latter beingjournalled in a bearing bracket I06 of similar structure to the bearingbracket 99, it being provided with spaced apertures to receivesupporting rods I01 and split adjacent the apertures for adjustablemounting on the rods through the aid of screws I08. The rods I0'I aresupported by a bracket I09 which is mounted upon the vertical portionI04 of the table 30. The lower end of the shaft I05 supports a ratchetH0 and an oscillating member III, the ratchet being fixed to the shaftwhile the member is free to rotate thereon but held against displacementby a collar I I2. A pawl II4 (Fig. 14) is pivotally mounted at II5 uponthe oscillating member III and normally urged-into engagement with teethof the ratchet by the aid of a spring IIB. An adjustable rod III isconnected to the oscillating member III, as illustrated in Fig. 14, thisrod being operatively connected to a pull rod II8 through a swivelconnection II9. As illustrated in Fig. 15, the pull rod II8 isadjustably connected to a cam lever I20, the latter being pivotallysupported at I2I and normally urged counterclockwise by a spring I22.The force of the spring I22 is suificient to move the cam lever I20about its pivot, to force the pull rod II8, the connection H9, the rodIll and the oscillating member III in a direction to cause clockwisemovement of the oscillating member to mov the pawl I I4 the distance ofone or more teeth of the ratchet IIO. A cam I23, of the contourillustrated in Fig. 15, is mounted upon the cam shaft 38 and adapted toengage a cam roller I24 of the cam lever I20 and bring about a reversemovement of the mechanism just described to rotate the ratchet IIO thedistance of one or more teeth. With this structure intermittent movementis imparted to the sprocket 95, imparting similar movement to the chain94 to move the trays with the articles intermittently from one stationto the other, such movements being equal to the distance between therecesses in each row thereofi in the trays. In the present instance thearticles are disposed in the rows of recesses 2I, and the sprockets 95and 96 with their supporting brackets I06 and 99 are located forwardlyso that the recesses 2I with the articles therein will pass in alignmentwith the units 25 to 28 inclusive. If it is desirable to use the otherrecesses or other types of articles, the bearing brackets I06 and 69 maybe adjusted on their respective supporting rods. I01 and IOI, to bringthe selected recesses of the trays into alignment with th units.

Hopper housing In viewing Fig. 2, it Will be noted that there are threehopper compartments I25; I26 and I2! in the hopper housing for parts I5,I6 and I1 to be fed to the operating units 25, 26 and 2! respectively.These compartments are provided with pickup blades I28, I29 and I30respectively, movable in closely fitting slots in the bottom and rearwalls of the hopper-compartments. The pickup blades are mounted upon acommon rocking shaft I3I which is journalled in suitable bearings ofbrackets I32 and I33, these brackets being mounted at the ends of thehopper housing 50.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 17 and 18, which illustrate thebracket I33 as having a guideway I35 for roller supporting blocks I36and I31, these blocks supporting rollers I38 and I39 respectively.Aligned pins I 40 of the blocks receive the ends of a compression springI4I, normally urging the blocks away from each other and providing aresilient connection between the blocks and their respective rollers.Laterally projecting integral flanges I42 of the blocks also supportaligned pins I43 for another spring I44 of like structure to the springI4I, these springs uniting in forming a resilient connection between theblocks and their rollers. An arm I 45, fixed to the rocking shaft I3I,is normally urged into engagement with the roller I39 by a tensionspring I46. A cam I41 of the contour illustrated in Fig. 17, is mountedupon the cam shaft 38 and positioned in engagement with the cam roller I38 to effect actuation of the resilient element, namely the springs MIand I44, their blocks and rollers, to cause oscillation of the arm I45.One surface of the cam I41 is provided with a plurality of high pointsI48, to create an agitating movement which is transmitted back to thepickup blades through their connecting mechanism.

Assembling unit 25 With the movement of the pickup blades in mind,attention is now directed to Fig. 3, which illustrates a sectional viewthrough the hopper compartment I25 associated with the unit 25. Thecompartment I25 is filled to the dot-dash line I49 with the parts I5,which are purposely not shown so that the structure of the blade I28 maybe illustrated. The pickup blade I28 is, as shown in Fig. 2, disposedadjacent the inner wall of the compartment and during this movement itis lowered so that an upper edge I50 thereof is adjacentan angularlypositioned bottom wall II of the hopper compartment. The upper edge I50of the pickup blade I28 is grooved throughout the major portion of itslength, as at I52 (Figs. 3 and 7), this groove being of suflicient widthto freely receive the nuts I5, which are loosely disposed in the hoppercompartment, edgewise but will not receive the nuts in any otherposition. An outer surface I53 of the blade is also tapered downwardwiththe inner wall of the compartment. These parts will be picked up in thegroove I52 and through the jarring motion imparted to the blade, otherparts tending to ride upwardly therewith, will be jarred free thereof.Furthermore, the groove I52 in the blade is of suflicient length toreceive a plurality of parts only one of which is necessary for eachcycle of operation. This assures a definite supply of parts for the unit25. When the blade I28 reaches its uppermost position, the part or nutin the first position on the blade will be brought into registrationwith an outlet I55 of the hopper compartment, the lower edge of which istapered to allow the nut to slide into a chute I56. To assure againstjamming of the parts, the forward end of the blade I28 is arcuate inshape and positioned to ride relative to a fixed member I51, in thehopper compartment, the latter having an adjacent surface of similarcontour. The radii of the meeting arcuate surfaces of the blade I28 andmember I5'I are from the center of the shaft I3I. A projection I58,which continues the arcuate shape of the blade I28, serves to clear thepath of the blade at the forward end thereof. As a further protectionagainst jamming of parts at the outlet I55, a safety element I59 (Fig.3) serves to close a continuation of the outlet I through the force of aspring I60 but permits outward movement of an additional part or nutshould such continue to ride upwardly upon the nuts in the groove I52.

The chute I56 is mounted in the position shown, providing a guideway forthe free movement of the parts downwardly in an aligned path, one sideof the chute being partially opened so that the operator may observe thequantity of parts therein. Adjacent the lower end of the chute I56, afeeding element I62 is pivotally mounted, at I63, and is normally urgedin the position shown by a spring I64. The element I62 is of the contourshown, having an arcuate projection I65 adapted to extend through slotsin the chute to close the lower end of the chute to hold the partstherein against downward movement. A companion retaining element I66,pivoted at I61 at the opposite side of the chute, is normally urgedcounterclockwise by a spring I68 so that the lower end I69 there-of willengage the end of the projection I65 of the element I62. A finger I70,integral with the element I66, is positioned to project between thelowermost part in the chute and the one following it uponcounterclockwise movement of both the elements I52 and I66 when suchmovement is imparted to the element I62.

The lower end structure of the chute I56 is shown in Fig. 19. Theelement I66 is broken away to illustrate aligned slots I12 in oppositewalls of the chute to respectively receive the inwardly projectingportions of the element I62 and the retaining element I66. The lower endof the chute is supported by a bracket I13 having an arcuately curvedtrack I14 for the parts, namely the nuts I5, as they drop singly fromthe chute and to direct the Parts into a horizontal plane, a forward endI15 stopping movement of the parts singly to cause them to drop throughan aperture I18 in the bracket. The bracket I13 is mounted upon a baseI11, of a contour illustrated in Figs. 3 and 19, grooved in its uppersurface, as at I18, to movably receive a slide or feeding elementindicated generally at I19.

In the present embodiment the feeding element is composed of,two.portions I80 and I8I, the portion I80 recessed at its forward end,as at I82, to receive the parts I5 singly from the chute when alignedwith the aperture I18. The portions I80 and I8I have uprights I83 andI84 respectively secured thereto, the upright I83 having a rod I88secured thereto and extending laterally through an aperture in theupright I84, the free end of the rod being provided with a head I81. Acompression spring I88, disposed concentric with the rod I88, serves toProvide a cushioning connection between the portions I80 and I8I, therod also assisting in connecting the portions. A laterally projectingpin I90, carried by the upright I83, is positioned to engage aprojection or finger I9I of the element I82, to cause counterclockwisemovement of the element when the slide I19 is moved rearwardly, that isto the right. Rearward movement is imparted to the slide I19 by suitablemeans, such as a compression spring I93, disposed in the recesses in thebase I11, one end of the spring abutting a solid wall I94, the other endengaging a projection I95 of the portion I8I of the slide. The springI93, being connected directly with the portion I 8I of the slide,imparts movement to this portion, and due to the connection of theportion I 8I with the portion I80 through the rod I88, the force of thespring I93 will also impart rearward movement of the portion I80. Thedistance the portion I80 of the slide I19 is moved rearwardly is limitedby a stop pin I98 engaging a rear wall of a groove I91. This same stoppin controls the forward movement of the portion I80 by its engagementwith the forward wall of the groove I91.

Forward movement is imparted to the slide I19 through the rotation of acam I98 in engagement with a cam roller I99 rotatably carried by theportion I 8|. It will, therefore, be observed that during each cycle ofrotation of the cam shaft 38, upon which the cam I98 is mounted,

the slide I19 will be moved from its normal position, where the recessI82 is disposed beneath the aperture I16 adjacent the chute I58, toreceive a part, namely a nut I5, from the chute, after which the slideis moved forwardly into alignment with the unit 25 so that the unit maybe lowered to receive the part, the slide remaining in this positiononly long enough for the unit to remove the part therefrom. During therearward movement of the slide I19, the element I82 is movedcounterclockwise about its pivot against the force of the spring I84,the force of the spring I68 causing the retaining element I68 to followthe counterclockwise movement of the element I82 until the finger I10has moved bee tween the two lowermost parts in the chute. The elementI88 remains in this position to hold all of the parts in the chuteagainst downward movement excepting the lowermost one, this one beingfreed by the element I62 after the element has been moved a sufllcientdistance to withdraw the projection 185. When the lowermost part isfreed by the element I82, it will drop by gravity, guided by the trackI14, into a horizontal positionstopped by the end wall I15, after whichthe part will drop through the aperture I18 into the recess I82.Therefore, during the rearward movement of the slide I19 a part is fedto the recess I82, this part being moved into alignment with the unitduring forward movement of the slide through the actuation of the camI98.

Referring now to the unit 25, it has been previously described how thisunit is rotated through the driving of the belt 84 to drive the pulley85. The pulley 85 carries a key (not shown). which rides in a keyway 200in a spindle 20I. The spindle 20I is rotatably supported by spacedbearings 202 carried by the brackets 51 and disposed upon each side ofthe pulley 85, serving to hold the pulley against axial displacement.

Attention is now directed to- Fig. 6, as well as to Fig. 3, whichillustrates a bearing collar 205 rotatably mounted on the spindle 20Iand having the forward end of a cam lever 208 pivotally secured theretoas at 201. The cam lever is pivoted at 208, upon a bracket supported bythe hopper housing, the rearward end of the member 228.

lever being pivotally connected, at 209, to a lever portion 2I0supporting a cam roller 2 at its lower end. A spring 2I2, connecting thelever portion 2I0 with the bracket supporting the lever 208, functionsto cause the levers to operate as if they were a solid unit yet addingflexibility thereto to prevent jamming and possibly breakage. Thisspring functions to hold the roller 2 into engagement with a cam 2, thiscam being mounted on the cam shaft 38 and having a small high portion2I5 and a large high portion 2I8 for purposes hereinafter de-.

scribed. Another spring 2I1 connected to the cam lever 208 normallyurges the lever clockwise and functions to move the unit 25 upwardly,

Referring again to the unit 25, particularly Fig. 6 it will be notedthat the lower end of the spindle 20I has a hollow portion 2I8 toreceive a compression spring 2I9. A sleeve 220 is disposed upon thelower end of the spindle 20I i and secured thereto by a pin 22I or othersuit- The lower end of the sleeve 220 able means. is threaded to receivea nut 222, this nut being centrally apertured to receive a tubularportion 223 of a chuck 224, the latter being recessed, at 225, with across sectional contour comparable to the contour of the parts or nutsI5. Th inner end of the portion 223 has an integral annular member 228positioned to engage a frictional washer 221, this washer also engagingthe end of the spindle 20I and functioning as a friction clutch betweenthe spindle and the A spring 228, disposed in the sleeve 220 concentricwith the portion 223, serves to apply a predetermined force on themember 226 against the friction washer 221. A retaining element 230,disposed in the tubular portion 223, is limited in its downward movementby a shoulder 23I, it being forced downwardly by the spring 2I9 butallowed to move upwardly against the force of the spring during theassembling of the part on the article. The lower end of the element 230is hollow and provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots 232. onlyone of which is shown, to provide resilient fingers 233 to enter theparts singly as they are positioned in the recess I82 therebeneath andto hold the parts in the chuck until they are assembled on the articles.

The contour of the small high portion 2I5 of the cam 2I4 is such that itwill cause actuation a guide for the wardly by the spring 2I1 asufficient distance to allow rearward movement of the slidel'l9. Afterthe slide I19 has moved rearwardly the unit 25, through the high portion2I6 of the cam, is moved downwardly over the stud por-' tion I2 of thearticle I to a point where the resilient fingers 233 restupon the upwardend of the threaded portion II, after which downward movement of theunit 25 is continued to drive the part I onto the threaded portion II.The unit 25 is continuously rotated in a direction to cause the part tobe driven onto the threaded portion of the article, thi operationcontinuing until the cam 2I4 releases its levers 286 and 2IIl to allowthe spring 2I1 to function to return .the unit 25 to its normal orupward position. During the operation of the unit in moving the part toits threaded portion II, the element 230 functions to accurately andpositively guide the part over the stud I2, the stud at this pointentering the hollow lower end of the element. The element 230 alsoserves as part while the latter is being driven onto the threadedportion II.

Assembling unit 26 Attention is now directed to the washer feeding unitillustrated in Figs. 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Associated with this unit isthe hopper compartment I26 and the pickup blade I29. The hoppercompartment I26 is filled to approximately the dot-dash line 235 withthe parts or washers I6 which are purposely not shown so that thestructure of the blade I29 may be illustrated. The pickup blade I29 imounted on the shaft I3I and disposed adjacent the inner wall of thecompartment I26. The back and lower walls of the compartment areprovided with an opening for the movement of the blade I29 therethrough,this opening being closed by the blade at all times, The upper surfaceof the blade I29 is grooved, at 236, to receive parts or washers I6edgewise, the blade also having downwardly tapering surfaces 231 toprevent washers from remaining on the blade other than in the groove.The forward end of the blade is arcuate in shape, the radii of which arefrom the center of the shaft I3I, this arcuate contour continuing in aprojection 238 and cooperating with a member 239 with a similar arcuatesurface hopper compartment without interference with the parts therein.Adjacent the upper end of the-mmber 239, a tapered surface MI isprovided, connecting the groove 236 when disposed thereadjacent with anoutlet 242, the latter providing communication between the hoppercompartment I26 and a chute 243. A safety element 244 (Fig. 4) pivotallysupported at 245 and normally held inwardly by a spring 246, functionsto cause the parts to pass singly into the chute from the blade and toeliminate jamming of the parts at the outlet 242.

The chute 243 is substantially identical in con tour and structure withthe chute I56, it being provided at its lower end with a bracket 259substantially identical in structure with the bracket I13 of Fig. 19,any variations being in the size of the aperture therein. The bracket250 func- 240 to allow movement of the blade in the positions and causethem to fall into a recess 25I of a portion 252 of a slide indicatedgenerally at 253. The lower end of the chute 243 is also provided withan element 254 identical in structure with the element I62 of Fig. 3,and pivotally supported at 255 upon the chute. A spring 256 normallyurges the element 254 clockwise to hold thereof in the slot in the anarcuat portion 251 lower end of the chute, to support the parts againstdownward movement. A retaining element 259 i identical in structure tothe element I66 of Fig. 3 excepting the location of a retaining finger260 thereof, this finger being positioned to release two parts and toretain the other parts in the chute; The element 259 is pivoted, at 26I,and has its lower end 262 positioned to engage the portion 251 of theelement 254 and be controlled thereby. Aspring 263 normally urges theelement 259 counterclockwise, causing it to follow the element 254 whencounterclockwise movement is imparted to the latter.

The slide 253 is identical in structur to the slide I19 excepting theforward end of the portion 252, the slide 253 being formed of twoportions 252 and 265. The portions of'the slide 253 have their uprights266 and 261 operatively connected through a rod 268 supported by theupright 266 and further joined by a spring 269 disposed on the rodbetween the uprights. A head all tions to guide the parts singly intohorizontal lever portion 29I 218 of the rod functions in the rearwardmovement of the slide. The slide is moved rearwardly through a spring 21I, having the same function as the spring I93 of Fig. 3, this movementbeing limited by a stop member 212 carried by the portion 252 in agroove 212 of a base 214, supporting the slide, and being limited in itsmovementby the end walls of the groove. A cam 215, mounted upon the camshaft 38, cooperates with a roller 216 of the portion 265, to effectforward movement of the slide, particularly the portion 265 thereof, thespring 269 functioning to cause forward movement of the portion 252. Theforward end of the portion 252 of the radially disposed notches 218therein extending into the recess 25I for a purpose hereinafterdescribed. During movement of the slide 253, a pin 280, carried by theupright 266, engages a pro- Jection 28I of the element 254 for movementof the element counterclockwise during rearward movement of the slide.

Attention is now directed to the unit 26, which includes a spindle 283supported for axial movement in spaced bearings 284, the latter beingsupported by the brackets 51 mounted upon the hopper housing 50. Thespindle 283 is apertured, at 286, to receive the forward end of a camlever 281 serving to hold the spindle against rotation and impart axialmovement thereto. The cam lever 281 is pivotally supported at 288 by abracket 289, the latter being mounted upon the to cause the levers toact in unison yet adds reslliency thereto.

hollow element 30I, internally threaded at its upper end, is mountedupon the threaded portion 300 of the spindle and locked thereon by a nut302 which is larger in diameter than the element, for a purposehereinafter described. The lower end of the portion 300 has a pluralityof radially positioned grooves 303 and integral projections 304 at thesides of the grooves. The grooves 303 are provided to receive fingers305, which are disposed between their respective pairs of integralprojections 304, to which they are pivotally secured as at 305. Thefingers are identical in structure and of the contour illustrated inFigs. 9 and 10, they being provided with rounder. upper ends 301 andnotched lower ends, the notche being indicated at 308, with roundedsurfaces therebeneath indicated at 809. A spring 310 is provided foreach finger, normally urging their respective fingers about their pivotsto move the notched ends toward the center line of the element 30l. Acentering element 3, having a rounded lower end, is movably disposed inthe hollow element 30 I, limited in its downward movement by. anintegral shoulder 3l2, where it is held normally by a spring 314, thespring 3l4 being of the compressible type to allow relative movement ofthe centering element 3 and the element 30L A cylindrical releasingmember 3i5 is disposed concentric with the element 30 I, the lower endof the member being formed to provide a conical surface 316. Thereleasing member i free to move on the element 301 but is guided againstrotation by a pin 3l1 riding in a groove 318 of the element. Alongitudinal groove 3l9 is formed in the element, extending the fulllength thereof and adapted to receive a retaining spring 320 formed toprovide a suificient frictional contact with the walls of the groove tosupport the retaining member against movement by its own weight. Thespring 320 is supported on a suitable member 322, by screws 323, and iadjustable relative thereto.

During each cycle of rotation of the cam shaft 38, the pickup blade I29moves through a complete cycle, that is it moves to its outermost limit,for the purpose of picking up washers in the groove 236, and then movesupwardly to its uppermost position, where washers may 'pass from thegroove through the outlet 242 and into the chute 243. During this cycleof operation of the cam shaft 38, the slide 253, under the control ofthe cam 215 and the spring 211, is caused to move rearwardly to move therecess 25! into registration with the outlet aperture of the bracket250, to receive two parts or washer 16 from the chute when released bythe element 254. The element 254 is caused to release two parts from thechute, rendering the retaining element 259 effective to retain all theother parts in the chute, during the rearward movement of the slide 253,through the combination of the pin 280 with the projection 28L Thefeeding of the parts to th slide occurs during one portion of cycle ofrotation of the cam shaft. During another portion of this same cycle,the slide is moved forwardly to position the recess 25! beneath the unit26, at which time the high portion 296 of the cam 295 functions toactuate the cam levers 281 and 29l to move the unit 26 downwardly adistance sufilcient to cause the fingers to grip the two parts in therecess 251. The slide 253 is held in the forward position while thefingers 305 are moved downwardly, their surfaces 309 riding on the outerperipheries of the parts through the notches 218 in the slide portion252 and the notches 308 registering with the parts. During th o ment ofthe fingers to pick up the parts 16 from the recess 25l of the slide,thecentering element 3 passes through the parts. After this operationhas been completed the unit 26 is again raised to its normal position,removing the parts from the recess and allowing the slide 253 to againmove rearwardly out of the path of the unit.

I The unit 26 is then moved downwardly to move the parts, held by thefingers, onto the stud l2 of the article 10 positioned therebeneath, thecentering element 3 maintaining its position within the parts until itcomes to rest upon the end of the article where it remains againstmovement while the unit in general and the fingers continue theirmovement to place the parts on the article. During the downward movementof the unit 26 the nut 302 engages the releasing member 3l5 and pushesthe member free of the frictional holding force of the spring 320, atwhich time the member will drop by gravity onto the fingers 305, theconical surface 316 of the releasing member causing movement of thefingers about their pivots and against the force of their spring 3l0 toreleas the parts I6. The fingers will thus be held in the releasedpositions during the subsequent upward movement of the unit 26 as theroller 292 leaves the high portion 291 of the cam 295. During thisupward movement the releasing member 3l5 is again brought intoengagement with the holding spring 320, the latter entering the groove3l9, where the releasing member is held through another portion in thecycle of operation of the unit including picking up of the parts fromthe slide 253 and until they are disposed on the next article.

Assembling unit 27 Attention is now directed to the unit 21, which isidentical in structure in most every detail to the unit 25 shown in Fig.3, including the feeding means and its operating mechanism, the maindifference lying in the size of certain parts to accommodate the smallernut I1. The unit 21 includes a spindle 325 movable axially relative tothe pulley 63 and the gear 6| in its bearings 326 and provided with achuck 321 at its lower end with the same structure as shown in Fig. 6,illustrating the unit 25. The hopper compartment 121 includes the pickupblade I30 of the contour shown in Figs. 5 and 8, an assisting member 330and a safety element 331. The safety element 33l is mounted pivotally at332 and is normally urged counterclockwise by a spring 333 to maintainejection of th parts 11 singly through an outlet 334 and into a chute335. The hopper compartment I21 is filled to approximately the dot-dashline 336, the parts purposely not having been shown so that the detailedstructure of the blade I30 may be illustrated. With these differences inmind and with a full understanding of the unit 25, it is not believednecessary to complete the description of the unit 21 and the feedingmechanism associated therewith, as it would be substantially arepetition of the description of the structure showninFig. 3.

Operation of the apparatus When the apparatus is in operation, the motor33 causes rotation of the units 25, 21 and 28 and rotation of therocking shaft 131 through definite cycles with the cam shaft 38, thelatter functioning with its cams to bring about operations of the units25, 26, 21 and 28 during the rest period of the feeding mechanism whichis also under the control of the cam shaft.

It is believed that a clear understanding of the operation of theapparatus maybe had by following one article I8 from the time it isplaced in a recess 2| of one of the trays 28 until it has passed by theunits with its assembled parts. For example, let the article I 0, withits washer I4, disposed in the first recess 2| of the tray 20 beginningits arcuate movement about the sprocket 96, be the one selected tofollow. This article must of necessity await the completion of severalcycles of operation of the apparatus before it reaches the assemblingunits, it having been placed in the tray by an operator when the traywas opposite the units.

The article first reaches the unit 25. However, prior to the time thearticle reaches this unit, the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3associated with the unit has been set in operation; that is, the pickupblade I28 has fed one or more parts or nuts I5 to the chute I56, thelowermost part I5 in the chute has been delivered to the recess I82through the actuation of the slide I19, the ejecting element I62 and theretaining element I66, and the part in the recess has been movedforwardly with the slide, aligning it with the unit 25. Furthermore,prior to the article reaching the said position beneath the unit 25, theunit has been lowered to receive the part and subsequently raised to itsupper position, following which movements of rearwardly so that when thearticle comes to rest beneath the unit the latter i being lowered toassemble the part or nut thereon.

assemble the part on the article the moment they are aligned, as theassembling operation must take place during the rest period of the tray20 and the unit must be free of the article prior to the next movementthereof. I

The article which has been supplied with the part I-5 then moves througha predetermined number of feeding movements until it is brought intoalignment with the unit 26. Parts, namely the washers I6, have beensupplied to the chute 243, the slide 253 has been moved rearwardly,effecting ejection of two of the washers successively from the chute tostacked formation in the recess 25I through the actuation of theelements 254 and 259, after which the slide has been moved forwardly andthe washers removed therefrom by the fingers 305 of the unit 26.Furthermore, prior to the movement of the article into alignment withthe unit 26, the slide has returned to its predetermined position out ofthe path of the unit and the unit has started its downward movement. Assoon as the article is moved into alignment with the unit 26, the unitis moved downwardly to move the washers carried thereby onto the articleand move upwardly free of the article before the article is againadvanced.

The article has thus far received the part or nut I5 and the two partsor washers I6. The article then continues in its intermittent movementsuntil it is brought into alignment with the unit 21. Here again a seriesof operations has been completed to feed the part or nut I1 to the chuck321 of the unit 21 so that the moment the article comes to rest beneaththis unit the nut ma be brought into registration with the stud I2 ofthe article, and through the rotation of the unit the part may be driventhereon. This completes the assembling of the parts on the article.However, the article is continued in its intermitthe unit the slide I19is moved article having an tent movements with the unit 28, at whichtime.the spindle-1| (Fig. 16) is lowered through the operation of the cam 88andthe levers and 86, to move the head 16, which is continuouslyrotating, into engagement with the upper end of the article, totransform the end of the article, through the spinning operation, toeffect retaining of the parts thereon, against displacement. Theoperation upon the suggested article has then been completed. Thearticle remains in its tray, moving intermittently therewith until it isbrought to a position where the operator removes it from the recess inthe tray and replaces it with another article.

The cycle of operation has been completed regarding one article. factthat the units 25, 26, 21 and 28 are operated substantiallysimultaneously, to perform their work on a plurality of articles at thesame time, these articles being at different positions in the trays, butdue to the distance in which the trays are moved intermittently, eacharticle will in a definite sequence be moved into successive alignmentwith the parts in definite order and finally be formed to effectretaining of the parts thereon.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merelyillustrativeand may be widely modified and departed from in many ways withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out inand limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an assembling apparatus, a support for an article having anexternally threaded portion, means to move the support intermittently toadvance the article, means operated in synchronism with the said movingmeans to place a washer on the article, and means operated insynchronism with the said moving means to subsequently drive a nut onthe threaded portion of the article.

2. In an assembling apparatus, a support for an externally threadedportion, means to move the support intermittently to ad-' vance thearticle, means operated in synchronism With the said moving means toplace a washer on the article, means the said moving means tosubsequently drive a nut on the threaded portion of the article, andmeans to form the threaded portion of the article to maintain nut andwasher on the said threaded portion against displacement.

3. In an assembling apparatus, a, support for an article having threadedportions, means to move the support intermittently to advance thearticle, separate means operated at different intervals in synchronismwith the said moving means to drive difierent threaded parts on the saidthreaded portions of the article, and means to form the article tomaintain the threaded parts on the threaded portions thereof againstdisplacement.

4. In an assembling apparatus, a support for an article having threadedportions, means to move the support intermittently to advance thearticle, separate means operated at diiferent intervals means to drivedifferent threaded parts on the said threaded portions operated insynchronism with the said moving means to assemble a washer on thearticle.

5. In an assembling apparatus, a support for an article having threadedportions, means to move the support intermittently to advance thearticle, separate means operated at until it is brought into alignmentAttention is directed to the respective units to receive the operated insynchronism with in synchronism with the said moving of the article, andmeans different intervals in v synchronism with the said moving means todrive different threaded parts on the said threaded, portions of thearticle, and means operated in synchronism with the said moving means to"assemble a washer on the article between the threaded parts.

6. In an assembling apparatus, a support for an article having threadedportions of different sizes,

means to move the support intermittently to advance the article, andseparate mean to drive threaded parts of different sizes on the saidthreaded portions of the article.

'7. In an assembling apparatus, a support having a plurality of spacedreceiving portions for articles of different types, units operable toassemble parts on the articles, means to intermittently advance thesupport in a path relative to the units, and means to vary the path ofadvancement of the support to effect selective positioning of thearticles of different types at predetermined intervals in alignment withthe units.

8. In an assembling apparatus, trays each having a plurality of spacedreceiving portions for different types of articles, units operable toassemble parts on the articles, means to intermittently advance thetrays in a path relative to the units, and means to vary the path ofadvancement of the trays to effect selective positioning of the articlesof different types at predetermined intervals in alignment with theunits.

9. In an assembling apparatus, a reciprocable unit including partgripping portions, a feeding element having a part supporting portionreciprocable between a loading position out of alignment with the unitand a feeding position in alignment with the unit, means to position anarticle in alignment with the unit, means to reciprocate the element,and means to reciprocate the unit in synchronism with the element tocause the grippin portions to remove the part from the element andassemble thepart on the article.

10. In an assembling apparatus, a reciprocable unit including partgripping portions, a feeding element having a part supporting portionreciprocable between a loading position out of alignment with .the unitand a feeding position in alignment with the unit, means to position anarticle in alignment with the unit, means to reciprocate the element,and means to reciprocate the unit between varied limits to cause thegripping portions to remove the part from the element and assemble thepart on the article.

11. In an assembling apparatus, a reciprocable unit including partgripping portions, a feeding element having a part supporting portionreciprocable between a loading position out of alignment with the unitand a feeding position in alignment with the unit, means to position anarticle in alignment with the unit, means to reciprocate the element,means actuable by the element to feed a part to the element, and meansto reciprocate the unit in synchronism with the element to cause thegripping portions to remove the part from the element and assemble thepart on the article.

12. In an assembling apparatus, a reciprocable unit including partgripping portions, a feeding element having a part supporting portionreciprocable between a loading position out of alignment with the unitand a feeding position in alignment with the unit, a chute for aplurality of parts disposed adjacent the said loading position, means toposition an article in alignment with the unit, means to reciprocate theelement, means actuable by the element to cause ejection of a part fromthe chute, and means to reciprocate the unit in synchronism with theelement to cause the gripping portions to remove the part from theelement and assemble the part on the article.

13. In an assembling apparatus, a reciprocable unit including partgripping portions, a feeding element having a part supporting portionreciprocable between a loading position out of alignment with the unitand a feeding position in alignment with the unit, a chute for aplurality of parts disposed adjacent the said loading position, means toposition an article in alignment with the unit, means to reciprocate theelement, means actuable by the element to cause ejection of a pluralityof parts from the chute for the supporting portion of the element, andmeans to reciprocate the unit in synchronism with the element to causethe gripping portions to remove the ejected parts simultaneously fromthe element and assemble them on the article.

14. In an assembling apparatus, a reciprocable unit including partgripping portions, a feeding element having a part supporting portionreciprocable between a loading position out of alignment with the unitand a feeding position in alignment with the unit, a chute for aplurality of parts disposed adjacent the said loading position, means toposition an article in alignment with the unit, means to reciprocate theelement, means actuable by the element to cause ejection of a pluralityof parts successively from the chute, means to cause the ejected partsto come to rest in stacked formation on the supporting portion of theelement, and means to reciprocate the unit in synchronism with theelement to cause the gripping portions to remove the ejected partssimultaneously from the element and assemble them on the article.

15. In an assembling apparatus, a reciprocable unit having grippingfingers adapted to grip a part therebetween, a feeding element having apart supporting portion reciprocable between a loading position out ofalignment with the unit and a feeding position in alignment with theunit, means to feed a part to the said supporting portion at the loadingposition, means to position an article in alignment with the unit, meansto reciprocate the element, means to reciprocate the unit in synchronismwith the element to cause the gripping fingers to grip the part, removethe part from the said supporting portion and lower the part onto thearticle, and means to release the fingers from the part.

16. In an assembling apparatus, a rotating unit mounted forreciprocation and including a hollow chuck, means to position anarticle, having portions of different diameters, in alignment with theunit, means to feed a part to the chuck, means to reciprocate the unitto move the chuck with the part to the article, and means in the chuckto guide the part over one portion of the article and onto anotherportion thereof.

17. In an assembling apparatus, rotatable units, means to position anarticle, having threaded portions of varied outer diameters, insuccessive alignments with the units, means to feed threaded partshaving varied inner diameters to the units, and means to move the unitsin predetermined order relative to the article to render the unitseffective to successively drive their parts on the respective portionsof the article.

18. In an assembling apparatus, rotatable units, means to position anarticle, having the parts to the ni n me ns to a u e the threadedportions of varied outer diameters, in elements simultaneously to supplyparts to the successive alignments with the units, means to feedingmeans.

feed threadedparts havlngvariedinner diameters n n m in a paratus. a otaa e to the units, means to move the units in preunit mounted forreciprocation and having a determined order relative to the article torender part enga n n pp n chuck t one end the units effective tosuccessively drive their parts thereof, means to position a threadedarticle in on the respective portions of the article, and a alignment wih h un a f e ing element movunit operable to assemble another part on thable into and out of position between the article,

article. l0 and unit to present a part to the unit, and means 19. In anassembling apparatus, rotatable to reciprocate the unit to cause thechuck to move units, means to position an articl h i toward the elementto receive the part oflered threaded portions of varied diameters, insuothereby, move away from the element to remove cessive alignments withthe units, means to feed the part therefrom and then move to the articlethreaded parts to the units, means to move th and drive the partthereon. imits in predetermined order relative to the In an ni aparatus. a unit article to render the units eil'ective to drive theirmounted for reoiprooation nd avin: a part parts on the respectiveportions oi the article, ippin ohuok disposed at e e d eof. and a unitoperable to assemble another art on means to position an artic e in a inment with the article between the said threaded parts. the umt, afeeding element movable into and ,out 20. In an assembling apparatu t tb oi. position between the article and unit to preunits, means toposition an article, having sent a part to he ni n means o ip tethreaded portions of va i d diameters, i the unit varied distancestoward and away from oeasive augments with the units, means to feed thearticle to cause the chuck to remove the part threaded parts t th tmeans t move the 25 from the element and position the part on the unitsin predetermined order relative to the articlearticle to render theunits effective to drive their In an assembnnE apparatus, a parts on therespective portions of the article, mounted r reciprocation and havin! aPm a unit operable to assemble another part on the S ipp n h k isp e ato n h r f, article, and means adapted to form the article means to1305mm! an article in 118111118111; with to eg t retaining t partsthereon against the .unit, a feeding element movable into anddisplacement. v out of position between the article and unit to 21, I anassembling apparatus, a plurality of present a part to the unit, andmeans to reciproassembling unit aet h t assemble washers oate the unitvaried distances toward and away and nuts on externally threadedarticles, means the article cause the chuck to 8 9 the to intermittentlyadvance a plurality of spaced part in the element, remove the part fromthe uncles relative to the units means to feed element and position thepart on the article.

wa h and t t t respective units, means 26. In an assembling apparatus, arotatable J to actuate the units to cause assembling of their unitmWnted for reciprocation d havins 3 Part respective washers and nuts lnagiven order on nnin huck, disposed at ne nd th r of.

th ti l and a spinning unit operable to m means to position a threadedarticle in alignment the ends oi'the articles to maintain the washers tthe unit e feedins element movable in o and nut th against displacement.and out of position between the article and unit 22, In a a bliapparatus. a plurality f to present a part to the unit, and means torecip. assembling unit aetuabl t eeeemhiedmerent rocate the .unit varieddistances toward and awaym onhke article, mean, to intermittently fromthe article to cause the chuck to grip the advance a plurality oi spacedlike articles rela- Pertln the element, remove the part from the I fi th units. hopper compartments tor the element, move the part to thearticle and drive each compartment and its respective unit to feed laiddiirerent parts, a pickup element for each the part on the article.compartment. ieedin: means interposed betw GEORGE a.

